New York City Restaurants To Soon Resume Indoor Dining At 25% Capacity

In what would be a big boost to New York City's famed restaurant scene amid the pandemic, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday announced he would allow indoor dining to return starting on Sept. 30.

Cuomo's announcement marks the lift of a six-month ban on indoor dining in New York City, allowing restaurants to offer indoor seating at 25% capacity with additional restrictions in place.

All patrons must have their temperature checked at the door and one person from each party is required to provide the restaurant with contact information for possible contract tracing. Patrons must also wear masks when they’re not seated at a table, among other rules.

Although many restaurants and bars across New York State have reopened for indoor service, the restriction in New York City made indoor dining one of the few business activities yet to receive approval to restart since the city began reopening in June.

The resumption of indoor dining could mark a significant turning point economically for many restaurants struggling to make do with outdoor dining and takeout, as well as revive social life in New York City. In 2019, the city boasted of roughly 27,000 restaurants but an estimated 1,000 have shuttered in 2020 due to the pandemic.

“There’s a whole industry around restaurants, and restaurants also pose a possible risk,” Cuomo said. “But there’s also a great economic loss when they don’t operate.”

The decision to allow indoor service to resume at the end of the month comes after Cuomo said restaurants and bars could proceed after their compliance with social distancing restrictions increased to more than 99%.

“Because compliance is better, we can now take the next step,” Cuomo said.